Exciting reports from Italy featuring art, lifestyle, food, travel, fashion, design
BICYCLE RULE
你餓嗎? Hai fame? My name is Antipasto, a delicious dish to start with in a traditional Italian meal. 我的名字叫Antipasto，是在傳統意大利盛宴中的頭盤。 I’m are here to give you a first taste, to open your appetite and let you enjoy my company. I want that you, my dear reader, will be able to find your way of better (tasteful) living through the colourful world of art, design, fashion and discover new exciting sources of information and creative energies. My purpose is to stimulate ideas, inspire you and provide a platform for creativity; I want to open your mind and induce cultural exchange, because I know that people are hungry. Hungry of new ideas and different cultures!
我是正餐的前奏曲，喚醒味蕾之餘又醒胃，是給大家享 用的良品。 希望你，我的讀者，都能在色彩斑爛的美術、設計、時 裝品味的世界裡頭，找到屬於自己的品味生活，同時發 掘出嶄新的資訊和創作動力。 我的目的是激發創意，同時提供一個舞台給大家盡情發 揮。 希望諸位放開懷抱，一起促進文化交流。 皆因我知道大家都餓了，是對新想法和不同旳文化的飢 餓！ Life is like a fabulous meal. We are Antipasto. Your Antipasto. So let’s take a bite of us!
“Lady Gears”, cover by Giorgio Baldessin
Published by WONDERCULT LIMITED Room 1803-7, 118 Connaught Road West, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Tel: +852 25081184 Fax: +852 25277732 Website: www.antipasto.tv Email: info@antipasto.tv Chief Editor: ATHENA CHOI English Editor: LOU TAYLOR Chinese Editor: LEUNG SZE LONG, J.TAM Creative Director: GIORGIO BALDESSIN Graphic Designer: ANNA PUORRO Photographers: FELIX CHAN, TOBY LAI, STACY, CLEMENT CHAN Illustrator: ELLEN TIMOTHY WONG Collaborators: MONICA YUAN (lovedesignpost.com), ISABELLA ROTTI (www.tophat.it) Contributor: SIMONE AUTERA, ANDREA BERNARDINI, SILVIA COLOMBO, ELISA DELLA BARBA, ENRICO LUNARDI, COSIMO LORENZO PANCINI, MAURIZIO RIDOLFO, COLIN WRIGHT. Thanks to: TANYA DOUBLEDAY RUDKIN ALESSANDRO FOLADOR, ENRICO GRIGOLETTI, YANICE HUI, GIUSEPPE “TRECCIA” IAVICOLI, LORENZO MAZZUCCONI, FRODO MC & MICETTO MC, PICCOLOEMANUEL. Special thanks to THOMAS LAI, the president of the Italian Cultural Society of Hong Kong for advice and legal consulting.
August 2010
FREE PRESS HK DOLLAR $.0
04 CONTRIBUTORS
09 TOUR DE FRANCE 13 THE POP CYCLING CULT 17 4 STEPS TO GEAR UP WITH STYLE 24 TIME TRAVELER’S BIKE 33 TWO WHEEL’S ART
38 I SCREAM WHIT MY ICE CREAM 47 BREAD LIFE 48 BREAD & ITALY
52 HOME MADE FASHION 58 DESIGN AND US 65 COOLHUNTING
68 BREAD, LOVE AND DREAMS 72 IF REALITY TALKS OF TV, TV HAS TO TALK BACK 76 SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR 78 BACK TO THEN - SARDINIA
84 SHOP LIST
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SIMONE AUTERA attends the Master of Science in Management of Arts, Culture and Entertainment, Bocconi University, Milan and went to London School of Journalism. He works as a producer at Bocconi web TV and legal consultant at Naga onlus.
ANDREA BERNARDINI, co-Artistic Director of the Lucca Film Festival and collaborator of European Film Festival in Florence, was born in Lucca, Italy. Ever since graduated in Cinema Study, he has been working in the cultural sphere. He supervises organization from events to exhibitions and regularly writes critics for cinema. Currently he is involved in a movie production.
SILVIA COLOMBO Was born in Cantù, nearby the lake of Como. She worked previously as a costume designer assistant for Zelig TV Show. Since then she has been working as fashion stylist, for Italian & international magazines like Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, Digger Magazine, Lake The Magazine and etc. Boogie, sun, sea and Ibiza, the island of love are her passions.
ELISA DELLA BARBA is the art and photography correspondent for Style.it, the Condé Nast Italia website. She also writes about travel and lifestyle and has been published in Elle (Italia); Qui Touring, Italy’s biggest travel and art magazine; and DeVinis, the national magazine of Italian sommeliers.
ENRICO LUNARDI, graduated in photography at the Institute R. Bauer of Milan. After a period of intense collaborations with several Italian and foreign photographers for fashion and still life, he had moved to London where he worked mainly with Italian magazines and press offices. After his return to Italy, he is specializing in fashion wear and accessories with focus to new trends.
COSIMO LORENZO PANCINI is a visual designer and artist, interested in all media from oil painting to motion graphics. He is creative director and founding partner of Studio Kmzero, and creates art with the collective The Ant Theater. He’s editor of Ego[n] magazine and designs fonts for the digital foundry Zetafonts.
MAURIZIO RIDOLFO Also known as RIDO is TV music channel presenter, writer and rapper. As a Hip Hop fanatic & cycling enthusiast, he is deeply involved in the bike culture of his city: Milan. He’d liked to say: “Respect the local scene” is the motto... first of all!”
A.COLIN WRIGHT, an award-winning author of plays, novels, short stories, journalism and other non-fiction. He has mastered five major European Languages with a doctorate in Modern Languages at Pembroke College, Cambridge and has acted as an accomplished tour leader of many countries.
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“From Paris to the blue waves of the Mediterranean, from Marseille to Bordeaux, passing along the roseate and dreaming roads sleeping under the sun, across the calm of the fields of the Vendée, following the Loire, which flows on still and silent, our men are going to race madly, unflaggingly.” SAID HENRI DESGRANGE the first organiser of the Tour de France by ATHENA CHOI Illustrated by COSIMO LORENZO PANCINI 09
Bicycle race, the most prestigious cycling’s grand tour
Riders per team, how much blood, sweat and tears
“The men waved their hats, the ladies their umbrellas. One felt they would have liked to touch the steel muscles of the most courageous champions since antiquity. Who will carry off the first prize, entering the pantheon where only supermen may go?” 1 July 1903 “L’Auto”
Kilometres across Netherlands, Belgium and France
Cyclists fight for one yellow jersey
Teams in total stands for thirteen nations
Years of history
Edition in 2010
Weeks long with only two days of rest
It is a sport, a business, a culture. Initially Tour de France was launched in 1903 by L’Auto, a French daily sports paper, to increase its circulation. The journey was so long that riders were required to cycle days and nights. “I suffered on the road; I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was sleepy, I suffered, I cried between Lyon and Marseille.” Maurice Garin noted. There was not only sweat, but blood too. “Supporters of the regional rider, Faure, assault the Italian, Gerbi. He is thrown to the ground, beaten like plaster. He escapes with a broken finger” reported Pierre Chany in 1904. Garin was also one of the victims. he said “I’ll win the Tour de France provided I’m not murdered before we get to Paris.” Much passion aroused by the race. France was made vividly visible and alive to its nation, whilst few people at that time had travelled beyond their closest town. It also triggered the desire among people of knowing more about their country• 11
I go everywhere by bike: Cycling from one work meeting to another, going out at night, shopping at the grocery market, going to clubs and meeting people. No matter it’s raining, snowing, freezing or too hot to breathe. by MAURIZIO RIDOLFO also known as “RIDO”
With the bicycle boom that’s going strong all over the world, cycling is on everybody’s lips, even in Italy. But it’s only a come-back, as cycling has a long history in Italy - of bike builders, riders and social culture. The contemporary phenomenon is especially interesting with in urban boundaries, in cities, where cars dominate the street scene, and travelling distances are longer. In big cities such as Milano and Roma, there’s an echo of international themes of fashion and style. So, like other big cities around the world Tokyo, San Francisco and New York for example - cycling is growing among younger generations. This phenomenon is due to a mixture of different social factors like a major interest in ambientalism, a renewed focus on simple designs and simple life style, influenced in part by the economic world crisis, that’s changing the way of city life. Bike culture is close to all of this: a bike is often the easiest, quickest
and most economic way to travel around the city. In the metropolitan areas of Paris, London and Berlin, the number of cyclists is growing every year. The young in particular are inspired by the style of old school riders like Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. Bike builders often look at the work of historical Italian brands like Campagnolo, Bianchi and Colnago. So where is the novelty? The new cycling generation stays connected to the old – there’s a shared passion between predecessors and this generation, however differently. In a bygone era, a bicycle was a means to escape the city, a way of transport and a sport, whereas kids nowadays express themselves and communicate through their bikes. I find the same motivation myself - I started using bikes in Milan, where I live. First on a BMX and now I am a fixed gear maniac. I go everywhere 13
by bike: cycling from one work meeting to another, going out at night, shopping at the grocery market, going to clubs and meeting people. As I said, I’m a cycling maniac - I use the bike even when it’s raining, snowing, freezing or too hot to breathe. And there are plenty of people living the same passion in the same way. We’re growing in number. We have followers too, people that admire this kind of behavior and want to imitate it. Not only in the way we move, but also in our rides. The bike as an object has become more important over the last five or six years, with an increased focus on style, color, fashion and purpose. With road bikes, mountain bikes, track bikes, BMXs, even the old fashioned city bikes like Graziella (a foldable Italian bike from the 70s) we can distinguish one rider from another. Like little tribes, urban cyclists are seen running around together, on similar bikes. I ride a fixed gear bike, a track bike. My friends
ride the same kinds. It’s a way to live internationally in a trendy city like Milan. Bikes like this are big in NYC and Tokyo. It’s a “global” culture by definition as it involves the history of a city and a nation like Italy, but with an international look. Art also plays a part in this “return to cycling”: nowadays, artists like Mike Giant (San Francisco based street artist), Takashi Murakami and Kaws, share the same passion for bikes as using canvases for expression. They stimulate people to re-think the bike in a new way and of course to use it! In the past, artists like Picasso or the more modern Keith Haring, used to love and participate in the bike movement. Shining on a city street, or taking it for weekend runs out of town, bikes are – once again – increasingly, a part of our everyday life. Cycling makes us feel healthier, cool and closer to resolving the problems of the planet•
by ATHENA CHOI Special thanks to PERRY MING, Senior Technical executive of Hong Kong Bicycle Limited for providing technical information on bicycle
Colour my way out The flexibility of bicycles makes them addictive because flexibility permits us to show our personalities. Nearly all bicycles are composed of a frame, two wheels, a saddle, handlebar, brake, pedals, rim, hub, chain, tyre, and crank set. Since every component is modifiable, a countless number of possibilities have been generated. Using probability theory, we can discover how little is the chance of having two identical modified bikes. However, this is not all what the competition in bicycle markets is about. Instead, it is the study of the frame’s angle, reduction in weight gram-by-gram, and the introduction of new material.
For example the COPENHAGEN WHEEL is made with high technology and is eco-friendly. Its secret weapons are packed inside the hub, where energy is regenerated and stored, and information about air, noise, and temperature are collected. Its gears and sensors can be controlled remotely by a smart phone through a Blue Tooth connection. If colours make you stand out, besides switching the frame and rims’ colours, you may want to choose from the colourful range of sneakers from NAT-2FADER or NATIVE SHOES and windproof jacket from BE DIFFERENT. In case of rain, do not forget your NUBRELLA rain helmet.
Some example of a colouful ride: www.jellybeanbikes.com.au
NATIVE SHOES - Miller
NAT-2 - Fader
NUBRELLA
NATIVE SHOES - Jefferson
Photos by Max Tomasinelli - www.maxtomasinelli.com
COPENHAGEN WHEEL
BE DIFFERENT
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PASHLEY- Guv’nor
BROOKS ENGLAND
Swallow BFF Limited Edition
VELORBIS
Leather Skirt Guards
BROOKS ENGLAND
Team Pro CMWC Tokyo
BROOKS ENGLAND HBPWC Philadelphia
FEIT
Superclean Low
Classic speaks for me As a generation advances, it diverges into two extremes: it either invents new technology or simply appreciates what is extinct. The rareness of some outdated items has created a taste for vintage, and has made up the trendiest style of this generation. Despite the simplicity in the structure, materials and the design of a vintage bicycle, their followers find them more practical as a regular ride around town. Cycling chic is found everywhere, including Europe, New York, Japan, but not Hong Kong. By HK law, bicycle access is severely restricted. That is why our miserable cycling day at Sha Tin’s bicycle
track is still among the highest ranking choices for weekend’s leisure. Among Dutch cycling products, bicycle storage solutions and accessories are particularly adorable, for example, the leather bike bag and skirt guards from VELORBIS. By adding to these a pair of leather grips, a saddle from BROOKS ENGLAND and the 1930s Path Racer remake – PASHLEY’S GIV’NOR, you can set off on a tour anytime you put on your shoes. They could be the elegant FEIT’s superclean in leather, or the playful LACOSTE cross ATMOS Cabestan Vulc with an Oxford shirt fabric surface.
Let’s envy the style that one could have on two wheels: www.copenhagencyclechic.com
ATMOS for LACOSTE Cabestan Vulc Limited edition
VELORBIS
Old School Leather Satchel
Jumping up and down Mountain biking is about strength. As riders contract their leg muscles, the wheels are powered to spin through pedalling. You often feel your strength limit when going up a slope. Quite often, riders are tempted to surpass their own limits for self-satisfaction. One must be prepared for sky and dirt, and this primitive demand is what makes the single-speed bicycle so popular. Simply put, it is a bike without shifters, and puts you in closer contact with your own abilities. Suspension is commonly found in mountain bikes, as it was originally designed to absorb shock and to maintain momentum on rough terrain. However, since the last decade, the mountain bike can often be found in the city, due to
a newly-developed sport. A dirtjumping bike installed with a rigid fork to enhance the rider’s ability to transmit force to the ground allows the rider to engage in the sport of jumping tricks. GARY FISHER is a key person in mountain bike sports and its manufacturing. Fisher’s newly released cyclist’s toy, Superfly 100, is a treasure, and goes perfectly with jumpy-styled shoes from Y-3, or the low-cut styled shoes from VOLTA STRADA, which come with a waterproof-waxed canvas. Perhaps the Italiancrafted NEVI bicycle frame with jewel-liked finishing and durable titanium can amplify your ride through exotic nature. Lastly, for safety reasons, we recommend a designer helmet from MET.
A cool bike vacation starts from: www.whistlerbike.com Horray! Finally we have a bike park too : www.thedangerzone.com.hk Process of manufacturing NEVI’s titanium frame in controlled chamber
GARY FISHER
Superfly 100
MET HELMET Veleno DIM
Y3 (D-mop) Boxing shoes
VOLTA STRADA - New Low Cut Concept
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Nothing can stop me In America, New York bike messengers deliver time sensitive packages, like important documents. Hong Kong also has messengers who deliver take-out food and gas cans, i.e., exceptionally difficult items to balance on a bike. Additionally, the average age of these messengers is growing older; indeed, very few experienced young delivery people with good knowledge of road conditions can be found, and many do not want such a tough job. Of course, the most important tool for the bike messenger is the bicycle itself. Today, a majority of bicycle manufacturers are found in America, but Italy is still a major player in the sector. One company that must be mentioned is BIANCHI, the world’s oldest bicycle-making company. Bianchi bicycles are traditionally painted turquoise. According to legend, turquoise
was the eye colour of a former Italian queen for whom Edoardo Bianchi made a bicycle. For those who cycle for work, the comfort of the seat or saddle is a major priority. The world’s biggest saddle producer, SALLE ROYAL, has launched a new lined called “Respiro” which is designed for maximum ventilation in order to optimize blood flow, thereby eliminating the feeling of numbness. To maximize the entire ventilation system, you will need a SINE THESIS ROAD HELMET, which uses a new approach for helmet construction, offering great ventilation, comfort, lightness, and aerodynamics. Additionally, Specialized S WORKS road shoes, supported by Boa Technology, offer the ability to make on-thefly micro-adjustments, making your ride as simple as possible. Off road, you can switch your sporty look for more causal attire with SEVEN DICE’s sneakers.
To know more about bike messengers: www.nybmf.org, www.nybma.com
MET HELMET Shine Thesis
BG S-WORKS Road Shoe
SEVEN DICE
SALLE ROYAL - Respiro
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BIANCHI - Road Bike
Continue pedaling as the wheels continue turning. More she pedals, more the clock hand twiddles. The timeless journey has brought her back to a time when war has just gone and joy is longing. Styling and text by ATHENA CHOI Photo by FELIX CHAN, TOBY LAI, STACY Make up and Hair by JADE CHOW, EMMA LI, YUKI NG Model VÉRONIQUE ZHENG
Jumpsuit shorts (Beatriz Da Silva). Shoes(Melissa). Sunglasses (Cutler And Gross from Puyi Optical). Necklace (Utah Lee from House of Style). Bicycle of 28” Hercules from the 70s (Hong Kong Vintage Cycle Club).
Top (Plein Sud from The Swank). Net veil and hair accessories (Jaycow). Necklace (Utah Lee from House of Style)
Shirt and Skirt (Vivienne Westwood). Shoes (Melissa). Hat (Jaycow). Bicycle-28� Hercules from the 70s (Hong Kong Vintage Cycle Club).
Dress (Kiton from The Swank). Jacket (Vivienne Westwood). Shoes (Melissa). Hat (Jaycow). Necklace (Utah Lee from House of Style).
Skirt suit (Enjoy from Jolly Lane Fashion). Shoes (Lacoste). Headband (Jaycow).
Knitted jumper (Dressing de Joja from Message). Pants (Penny Black). Shoes (Lacoste).
“Where are you going sweety? You pedal in such a hurry on a bicycle? Your skinny and lean legs have already lighted the passion in my heart!” From the soundtrack of Bellezze in bicicletta (Beauties on a bicycle) by Trio Darling by ELISA DELLA BARBA
Ceci n’est pas un vélo. This is not (only) a bicycle. That’s how Magritte would describe the new wave that is touching Italy, in which bicycles become an art as much as about the art of life.
the Colosseum was given over to bicyclists for games and contests, while in Bologna friends chatted while waiting for a free bicycle check-up at Ciclofficina, by the beautiful church of San Petronio.
Italy has always been devoted to this two-wheeled means of transportation, which is well suited to the country’s many small, beautiful towns. In the film “Life is Beautiful,” Roberto Benigni cycles through the small alleys of Arezzo, Tuscany, his four-year old son sitting in the front, waving at friends. Bicycles are so much a part of Italian life that the first National Bicycle Day was celebrated, 9 May, with events around the country.
But bicycles aren’t just a way to cover distance. They are an art form in their own right, a material on which Italian artists express themselves. My bicycle is me, it has personality, it has voice and soul. So why not make it talk?
In the Milan neighborhood of Navigli, where canals once transported goods in and out of the city, the streets were closed to traffic so parents and children could ride freely, enjoying colorful buildings, gelateria shops and canalside restaurants. In trafficchoked Rome, the ancient street Via dei Fori Imperiali that runs to
As an offshoot of the Salone del Mobile (legendary design fair held every May in Milan), a creative workshop space near Naviglio Grande canal called Brandstorming hosted performances in which emerging artists painted not on canvases but on bicycles, transforming them into contemporary art. One artist turned the frame of a bicycle into a body of a man, its gears a huge open mouth painted in red, while another organized bicycle wheels into a version of the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci.
Photo by Giuseppe Iavicoli
Ciclart for Ciclo&Riciclo Design Week, Milan 2010 Above, Art by Nemos On left, Art by Simo “Sketchthisout” Massoni
Photo by Simo “Sketchthisout” Massoni
Elsewhere, Massimo Bressan, from Verona, created an artistic bicycle frame: the functioning vehicle, in tribal and post-modern style, can be bought in a luxury edition for ‘only’ 600 euros. While contemporary art uses the object itself in reinterpreting its use, in the past the bicycle was praised through paintings. In the twenties, Mario Sironi and Umberto Boccioni, masters of Futurism, saw the bicycle as the symbol of speed and dynamism. Years later, Federico Fellini, film director, drew the vehicle many times in sketches that helped him materialize his fantasies into movies. 33
Photo by Gianluca Panella/Massimo Sestini
Fashion too pays the tribute to the eco-transport: Free Cycle – Free Mobility was Pitti Uomo’s themelayout in 2008, event inspired to “environmentally sustainability mobility”. Bicycles were everywhere: from an impressive installation designed by Oliviero Baldini and made of the best Italian bicycles to a limited edition of Pitti Immagine bicycles available to buyers and press to meander the city.
Photos from Free Cycle – Free Mobility of Pitti Uomo 74°, Florence 2008 Art direction by ISABELLA GHERARDI
Bicycles feature prominently in Italian dramas too, from classic movies such as “Ladri di biciclette” The Bicycle Thief (about a working class father and son who need their stolen bicycle in order to work again, 1948) and “Il Postino” The Postman (Massimo Troisi cycles around a small town in southern Italy delivering mail and courting his lover, 1994), through to present day TV series’ and movie productions. It’s no surprise then that the ninth international Bicycle Film Festival (exhibits, parties, and bicycle-focused street events) was held in Milan in 2009.
Like every contemporary concept, though, it is not always easy to change old preconceptions: in Bologna, a traffic policeman gave a fine for a bicycle that was in the way in Piazza Aldovrandi, in the city center. Too bad: the bicycle wasn’t simply a bicycle, but a contemporary art project by the artist Erika Calesini, who scattered many bicycles (wrapped in plastic) around the city for the opening of her exhibit at the Oltre Dimore gallery. Her work proves that the idea of the bicycle is still evolving. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day•
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與我的雪糕一起尖叫 訪談 I scream 創始人 Paolo Predonzan Interview with the founder of I Scream, Paolo Predonzan 「呀!」當榛子雪糕在舌尖上迸發的一刻，我由不得自己了；她就 像外冰內熱的情人，要我吻她一遍又一遍。 Interview by ATHENA CHOI Photo by CLEMENT CHAN 39
Starting as a mere summer intern gelataio (Italian ice-cream artisan) in Vienna until today he owns his mastery of a gelato kingdom in Hong Kong, however for Paolo Predonzan there is still a long way to go. In his quest to expand the ranks of gelato aficionados in China, he is adding operations in Macau soon, followed by Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, etc. in plan. After seven years in the area, Paolo has adopted Hong Kong’s work ethic while maintaining some balance. The only leisure like running and hiking are scheduled at six in the morning, in order not to affect his daily work routine. This focus on work seems counter to his Italian nature, a nationality known for its relaxed lifestyle. Yet, Paolo himself claimed, “The only way for a business to survive in Hong Kong is to keep growing; otherwise, someone on your back will eat you.”
From his training at Eis106, one of the top five gelaterie in Vienna, which is known as the capital of gelato, Paolo has developed his own secret recipe. Indeed, the ratio of ingredients determines one’s success. According to Paolo, in order to produce the delicious gelato, all processes and ingredients are given the highest attention. Air must be naturally stirred into the mixture at levels less than 30% in order to maintain its characteristically rich texture. Normally bargain ice creams are composed large amounts of air, thereby disappearing immediately in mouth. In contrast, many premium ice creams attain fullness with a high amount of cream (which is fat). Amazingly, gelato has that full, creamy texture with only 6% fat. Paolo strives to keep it low in fat, especially with Hong Kong’s subtropical climate. Using his skills, talent, and creativity, Paolo has already created 450 flavours to date, while Eis106 sold only 16 flavours. He said, “Hong Kong people are very adventurous in trying new things, including new flavours.” Like other chefs, Paolo is continually striving to create new flavours to meet our desires. As the provider of gelato for more than 120 restaurants in Hong Kong, he is required to produce any kind of flavours, like risotto saffron, tong sui – papaya and white fungus soup, and foie gras. Paolo’s assistants, Jenny and Lilly have been working with him before “I Scream” existed. Not having any
common in languages, they have given him a lot support especially in dealing with Chinese ingredients and herbs. Apart from the secrets of gelato, they have built fluency in
English and speak some Italian words now. Compared to their abilities with languages, Paolo has much to learn. Perhaps Cantonese is simply too hard for this ice cream genius•
Paolo Predonzan的雪糕生涯始於維也納
意大利黃飯味雪糕和木瓜雪耳糖水味雪 糕，甚至鵝肝雪糕。
的一次暑期實習。多年來在異國生活， 七年前更來到香港開設了自己的雪糕王 國。他決心要點起中國人對意大利雪糕 的熱情，不過路仍漫漫，現在才算是站 穩了陣腳。幾個月內，他會將自己的品 牌拓展到澳門。然後逐步邁進深圳、廣 州、上海、北京等城市。 入鄉隨俗，來自假日之國意大利的 Paolo，已經習慣了香港每周工作7天的
生活。「在香港經商，只有兩個選擇： 要麼不停發展壯大，要麼被後來者所 滅。」但為了平衡生活與工作， Paolo 平日都會堅持在清晨做運動，既可以保 持精神，亦不坊礙工作──同時這是滿 足他作為一個意大利人對生活的一點要 求。 從雪糕之都維也納頂級雪糕店 Eis106拜 師學藝， Paolo 發展出自己的秘方。雪 糕的高下全取決於材料比例，空氣的比 重更顯現微妙差別。因而 Paolo 在製作 過程中對此一絲不苟。廉價的雪糕含大 量的空氣，所以入口後很快會溶化；而 高級雪糕為了彌補這缺陷，就使用大量 奶油來換取飽足口感，但同時提高了脂 肪含量。 Paolo 知道自己的客人並不喜 歡脂肪， 因而他通過與眾不同的配方 ，使雪糕能在6%的低脂肪含量條件下， 把的空氣的含量保持在 30% 以下，同時 又有極為豐富複雜的口感。 Paolo 是個充滿創意的人，他當年師從 的名店 Eis106只有16種口味，而他卻創 造出逾450種！他為120多家餐廳提供雪 糕，計有中、西、意、日等，當中有三 間米芝連星級餐廳。為了配合不同大廚 諸多要求和換季口味，經常要不停鑽研 食譜，也會跟其他廚師聚首一堂討論。 如他所言，「香港人喜歡嘗試新事物， 在雪糕的口味上也不例外」，因此他不 知疲憊地為他的顧客進行新創作，例如
Paolo並不是孤軍作戰的，負責原料 採購Jenny和製造助手Lilly，打從“I Scream”未誕生之前已和他並肩作戰。
雖然語言不通，但一直以來都是他的左 右手，尤其在處理中式食材上。她們在 共事中不但學到雪糕製作的堂奧，現在 還一口流利英語，當然還有少量意文。 相處多年Paolo也沾上不少本土文化 ──或許除了廣東話吧。
By Paolo of I-Scream Ingredients: jasmine dry flowers 15g, honey 30g, white sugar 170 g, pasteurized egg white 20 g and water 800 g. Required equipments: 1-liter cooking pot, ice cream maker, kitchen balance and a wooden spoon for stirring. 1. Boil 800g of water in a cooking pot until it reaches boiling point 2. Add the jasmine dry flowers into the water 3. Cover the pot with lid and leave for 10 minutes 4. Filter the flowers from water 5. Stir in the sugar and honey 6. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker 7. When it is 80% ready, add the pasteurized egg white into the mixture * Note: the intensity of the dry flower’s flavour varies from individual. If taste is not satisfactory, repeats the same procedure with more or less quantity of dry flowers according to the previous result.
“With bread all sorrows are less.” SANCHO PANZA from “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)
by CARLA TURISANI BONELLI & FAUSTO BONELLI owners of a century old bakery in the heart of Friuli Venezia Giulia
Despite the frenzy of life today, the simple pleasure of eating and buying fresh bread still remains. Get into the bakery, smell the warm bread, sometimes waiting ten minutes or returning an hour later to have the exact kind of bread you want, freshly baked. It’s something that we Italians are willing to do at the cost of wasting valuable time even risking a 35 euro parking fine just for a two or three euro loaf of fresh bread. Why? Bread has always been part of our culture. Bread is one of the first foods we experience – ‘good’ food that a mother gives her child, with its simple but fine ingredients.
sense of pleasure. How many types of fresh bread does a bakery make? Several, the choice is endless: a simple mix of flour, water, and yeast perhaps enriched with olives, pumpkin, corn, beans, cheese, meat, vegetables and spices, their flavours are a temptation impossible to resist. Forgetting social, financial and cultural differences, eight out of ten Italians are united by the daily act of buying fresh bread, relying on bread as a staple part of their diet.
Why? It goes well with all food from light meals to fine dining.
The success of each loaf depends on high quality ingredients, careful preparation and accurate processing.
Why? It satisfies our hedonism and plays with our senses – gives us an olfactory pleasure. When we break crispy bread we feel a tactile pleasure, hearing the crust crumbling and then chewing something that immediately satisfies us and gives a
We italians like doing things well and are demanding when it comes to choosing what can satisfy our desires. We feel we deserve it, since our work and our life have always been imbued with optimism and courage• 47
FRESELLA Puglia 普利亞 Southeast 東南 Served with a simple tomato sauce after being soaked in sea water 吃法是吸飽海水後再 加茄醬
PANE FORTE Sicily 西西里 South 南部 Strong bread of durum wheat 粗小麥 造的「大力面包」
CIABATTA Veneto 威尼托 Northeast 東北 firm textureconsistency 結實的質感
PANE SCIOCCO Tuscany 托斯卡纳 Central 中部 Salt less, mellow and chewy 無鹽 ，厚帶嚼勁
MICHETTA Lombardy 倫巴第 North 北部 Fragrant and hollow inside 中間空心， 輕柔芬芳
PIADINA Emilia-Romagna 艾米利亞-羅馬涅 Central 中部 Italian flatbread 意大利無酵餅
FOCACCIA Liguria 利古里亞 West 西部 averagely two centimeters high, soft and crunchy 統一2厘米厚，既鬆且脆
GRISSINI Piedmont 皮埃蒙特 Northwest 西北 Pencil-sized, dry and crunchy 鉛筆大小，乾身易碎
COPPIA FERRARESE Emilia-Romagna 艾米利亞-羅馬涅 Central 中部 Ferrara 费拉拉 Four crunchy horns linked in a central soft part 四邊起角而中間鬆軟
CARASAU Sardinia 撒丁島 Island Thin like paper and crispy 薄如蟬翼而且十 分脆口
PANE DI SEGALE Trentino Alto Adige 特倫蒂諾-上阿迪傑 North 北部 Dark brown bread with cold resistance 耐冷的黑面包
Technology is developing rapidly, home-made has gained a new definition of having good quality with care. If you are those who love going to restaurant where sells their home made dessert, here we have got you some dolce. Photo by ENRICO LUNARDI Styled by SILVIA COLOMBO
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“When I design, I don’t consider the technical or commercial parameters so much as the desire for a dream that humans have attempted to project onto an object.” PHILIPPE STARCK said As if we all consider only what is achievable already, we don’t improve; if a design only make much profit, it only makes someone rich but not necessary better. Let’s see what a dream of someone could be. by ATHENA CHOI by MONICA YUAN
Liberal walker
design which makes our path easier
Rain does not always come alone. How often do we look hopelessly wild under the wind of a chaotic typhoon and being helpless? The award-winning windproof design of SENZ could help us to restore our elegance under such condition.
Sometimes cyclists are frustrated by the fact that their honking sounds are a disturbance for many others. The UNIVERSAL SOUND BELL resolves this situation by tinkling some harmony tones like an instrument. Whoever is in your path will be much happier to let you pass.
KARTELL always looks for every opportunity to plasticise thing, in the 50s plastic was introduced to home as domestic goods and replaced glass in lab. Then plastic lamps, tables, chairs were born. Eventually in the fashion territory will find its footmark. Rain boot SOFIA and ballerina LADY are two examples.
Tools seldom function alone; this is why they frequently come in a kit. But altogether four 1/4’’ hex bits, 7 assorted in a box and spoke wrenches and a bottle opener for thirsty moments could actually end up as small as MAKO BIKE TOOL from POCKETTOOLX.
RUI ALVES must had played a lot with lego when he was small to have designed this genius multi adaptable furnitures. The big five from the jungle are the basic forms which resemble stool, chair, coffee table, book rack. 59
Unusual dweller
not liking to the same in the concrete forest To create a unique artistic home, apart from collecting paintings and sculptures, you’d always need to work on different dimensions. NEMO from FABIO NOVEMBRE allows you to hide your day behind a mask of fantasy.
The chrome-plated glass diffuser delicately releases a warm, suffused light to the environment. Thecontrasting subtleness of the wonderful crafted glass and crude industrial design taken from work light used in factories and warehouses, has given GLAS an iconic style.
HET KRUIKANTOOR in Dutch is a combination of words “wheelbarrow” and “office”. Hong Kong might had inspired TIM VINKE the designer for this portable office with a table, 2 chairs, electricity connection and document racks.
Small object of big idea; every angle and length of a paper plane count for its performance. Behind a causally folded graph paper, there are mathematics equations, which calculate the precise curve of the reading chair named under PAPER PLANE by NIPA DOSHI and JONATHAN LEVIEN.
People normally continue to collect objects like house, car, boat, plane. But then what’s next? Before getting your spaceship, there is a hand-built bicycle plated by 24 carat gold on all visible surface with 600 Swarovski crystals, costs only a fraction, for ₏80,000 from AURUMANIA.
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Time stylist
polish your minutes, hours and day with style The time that is irreversibly lost turns into shredded paper. As time passes by, the tattered remains of the past pile up under CHRONO-SHREDDER, which poetically remind us of the evaporated time.
The IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT has saved POLAROID by re-inventing instant analog integral film. The “First Flush” series introduces a silver-based monochrome film in two formats, 600 and SX-70. Results vary with each individual package depending on light and temperature. The timeless aesthetic is then sensitively snapped.
Place fresh ingredients from the fridge in SLOWCOOKER without oil, as the gentle cooking process tenderises the ingredients to release full flavour. Food can be served directly, because the top and bottom silicone rings protect your table from the heat. This makes cooking is so simple! The award-winning slowcooker is designed by MARGRIET FOOLEN for ROYAL VKB.
A dome of fabric from recycled aluminium allows every squash to be recorded in the silhouette of chair. Our mark of “Memory” is then retained forever with the chair by TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA for MOROSO.
I don’t think if I will discard my splendid canopy, but even if I do one day, it is completely biogradable in less than five years. And the gas released by each discarded umbrella from BRELLI in a conditional landfill can be harvested to generate electricity of 90% of the energy that was used to create it.
MEET2BIZ, a Place for you. by ISABELLA ROTTI Here the “average” shop-aholic can find innovative clothing and accessories brands such as XYZ, Seacreative, Iola.art, I drink at work, Dragoncella. Madamadoresina and Di-EIGHT, which are largely used in tv shows and music videos. The buyer can pick the most interesting piece for his collection and the stylist the particular choice for his shooting. Meet2biz is also one of the most glamorous location in Milan for presentations and inaugurations, a sort of meeting point, where people are always exchanging artistic impressions and ideas. Here is a place you can’t miss if you visit Milan with a true cool hunting spirit. It’s not only a shop, a showroom, a location or a temporary store. It’s even more. MEET2BIZ SHOWROOM&CONCEPT STORE is a lovely space located on the most trendy part of the Naviglio Grande, the characteristic canal of Milan. During a few years it has become well known among fashionable people. You must visit it if you want to find out the true spirit of Italian life style and fashion…with an unconventional taste. As a matter of fact Meet2Biz is a kind of creative circle. A container of styles, projects and activities. With a few key words: no levelling of styles.
Finally Meet2biz also offers many consulting services for guiding both the occasional and the heavy shopper in a creative trip through the beauties of made in Italy. You can choose among creative and commercial projects, production and promoting of events, image consulting, fashion and design tours, workshops and technical selection for events or sets• MEET2BIZ@SPAZIO SHOWROOM/ CONCEPT STORE Alzaia Naviglio Grande, 14 20141 Milano - Italy Tel. +39 02 36 59 2334 - +39 339 7962395 www.meet2biz.com meet2bizshop@gmail.com 65
給我一塊面包 我為你編出愛與夢
翻譯 J.Tam
A story of love and poverty that reached the hearts of millions of viewers across the world. 一個有關愛與貧，觸動萬千心靈的故事。 by ANDREA BERNARDINI
The film was directed by Luigi Comencini in 1953. It was a comedy considered to be part of the Pink Neorealism movement, set in central Italy during the post-war period. It is beautifully portrayed by two well known actors of the Italian cinema, Vittorio De Sica and Gina Lollobrigida. The work has been considered, throughout the years, a grand cinematic achievement that has reached cult status, vindicated by a series of three sequels that have received equal or more grandiose acclaim. The work exhibits the will to never surrender, even under the most dire of circumstances. It colors the simplest of human situations with a splash of poetry and teaches the viewer to smile even when facing the most dire of situations... This makes Bread, Love and Dreams a timeless masterpiece.
“Bread, Love and Dreams” movie poster
BREAD, LOVE AND DREAMS 是由Luigi Comencini 於1953年執導，一 直被譽為「粉紅新寫實主義」的代表作 之一，時間證明，她拓展了電影藝術的 視野。背景是在二戰後的意大利中部， 並由兩位意國知名演員，Vittorio De Sica 和Gina Lollobrigida七情上演。 片中展現出永不言敗的精神，那怕在最 漆黑的夜晚。她把最單純的人性如詩般 向觀眾訴說，讓他們知道面對多惡劣的 環境，你唯一要做的只是一笑置之，坦 然面對。這些都使電影成為不朽經典。 五十年代，意大利在一連串的社會矛盾 中，從本國最醜惡的歷史中重新振作， 捱過了糾纏多年的赤貧和饑荒。 單車是這次經濟復甦的象徵。 似乎意大利人去哪都騎著單車。無論在 大小城市，單車都是最普遍的交通工 具。絶大部份人都認為單車是上下班不 可或缺的，不然就是一種大眾娛樂。 最令人難忘的一幕就是Maresciallo Carotenuto瀟灑地騎着單車，乘客則是 美艷不可方物的Annarella。那邊廂，De Sica對 Marisa Merlini驚艷的一幕－－出 奇不意的示愛方式，情話綿綿而風度翩 翩，無可抗拒的雙雙墮進愛河接上激情 一吻－－亦深深印在觀眾的腦海中，同 時帶領着一整代意大利人樂觀向前。對 他們來說，有情或不能飲水飽，但有 面包足矣。每天都充滿着濃的化不開的 愛，懷中有夢，哪來這麼多愁？ In the 50’s, Italy was rising from the ashes of the conflict. The country had just crawled out of one of the ugliest pages in its’ history. The rampant poverty and devastation that had plagued the country for years had finally been overcome. In this period the bicycle became a symbol of economic revival. It seemed that the whole of the Italian population got around by bike. In small towns, as in large cities, the bicycle became the most
Gina Lollobrigida and Vittorio De Sica, pose together during the filming of “Bread, Love and Dreams”
popular form of transportation. In most cases the bicycle was viewed as an indispensable mode of travel to get from home to work. In other cases it was viewed as a luxury that all could afford to enjoy. One of the most popular scenes of the movie is the one where Maresciallo Carotenuto elegantly carries the beautiful Annarella on the handlebars of his motorized bike. A sequence, the one between De Sica 69
and Marisa Merlini, of astonishing beauty, that has remained in the collective consciousness of many spectators. The frequent declarations of love on the way, the good words and the gentle manners with the consequent fall and the passionate kisses serve as a symbol for an entire generation of Italians that looks forward to a happier future. Only bread for food, love to fill the days and dreams for all the rest, were enough to be happy•
by SIMONE AUTERA Illustrated by ELLEN TIMOTHY WONG
TV is the shop window of everything that goes on. Have you ever seen a window displaying the worst products the store sells? TV is the shop window of everything worth showing off. But we’re talking about a country, not a shoe store. QUANDO LA REALTÀ PARLA DELLA TV, LA TV NON PUÒ TIRARSI INDIETRO
L’isola dei cassintegrati Pizza, Mafia, arts, Berlusconi, mandolino - words the world associates with Italy. But what do Italians know about their country, when most of them use television to get news? As recession tightens across Italy and the world crisis tears jobs away, strikes small businesses and
provokes financial turmoil, television lavishes optimism on viewers – as the political and economic rules of the shop window arrangement state. Bridging the gap between the reality and what you watch on TV is a challenge; unless you really believe that the striking workers on the street are the brothers of bikiniclad showgirls.
Pizza, “mafia” e Berlusconi – che ha ormai spodestato il gettonato mandolino degli anni ’60- sono il profilo dell’Italia all’estero. O almeno ciò che gli italiani da anni si raccontano riguardo quel che all’estero pensano di loro. Ma cosa gli italiani, dall’Italia, sanno del loro Paese? Complicato rispondere. La maggior parte degli italiani guarda la televisione per tenersi aggiornata su quel che accade ogni giorno. La TV rappresenta così la vetrina prediletta di ciò che via via avviene nel “Bel Paese”. Ma si è mai vista una vetrina allestita allo scopo di mostrare gli articoli più sconvenienti di cui il negozio dispone? Così, nel mentre la crisi economica penetra nel tessuto sociale, serrando i battenti di piccole e medie imprese, rasando al suolo posti di lavoro e gettando sull’orlo della povertà numerose famiglie italiane, la TV adempie meticolosamente al ruolo per lei costruito: dispensatrice di ottimismo, vetrina opaca di una realtà con cui ha da tempo perso il contatto. Chiunque scenda per strada in un giorno qualsiasi è sorpreso dallo stridente contrasto tra ciò che vede e ciò che ha visto- e vedrà- la sera in TV. A meno che non pensi che gli operai in sciopero riversatisi nella via siano i fratelli delle presentatrici in bikini dello show in voga al momento.
Cosa occorre fare allora per rivendicare non tanto l’onore violato della propria famiglia ma il costituzionale diritto al lavoro? E’ questa la lezione che arriva proprio dall’Italia. Circa tre mesi fa un gruppo di cassintegrati sardi sono approdati sull’isola dell’Asinara per dare visibilità alla loro condizione: lavoravano alla Vinyls, impresa leader in Italia nella produzione di PVC, ora commissariata a seguito dei gravosi debiti con la principale delle industrie fornitrici, l’ENI, società a controllo statale. La chiusura dell’azienda porta con sé, oltre alla perdita del lavoro di più di 300 operai, anche l’indotto garantito a circa 4000 famiglie... Tutto questo non aveva spazio nell’inventario delle cose da esporre in TV. Le emittenti televisive, pubbliche e private, investono la maggior parte del loro denaro nell’acquisto o produzione di format televisivi quali varietà, quiz, reality show, relegando il più delle volte a fanalino di coda l’approfondimento giornalistico e culturale. E’ così che per poter attrarre l’attenzione della televisione, e con essa degli altri media , i lavoratori della Vinyls hanno pensato di parodiare la televisione stessa nella sua forma più rappresentativa: il reality. I reality show sono ormai una formula consolidata e sono proliferati come una muffa nel sistema televisivo italiano. Ma, a dispetto del nome, 73
Well, what should you do to revenge not your sister’s lost honor, but your job-right? Some months ago, a group of redundant workers occupied Asinara Island in Sardinia to highlight their situation. They’d worked at Vinyls, the biggest Italian PVC production company, until it filed for liquidation due to debts with its main supplier, Eni, a state-controlled company. They demand their jobs back. Over 4,000 families bear the consequences of the closure. So far, a solution has not been reached at the negotiating table between Eni and Ramco, a Qatar company interested in acquiring Vinyls and some Eni production plants. That seems far out of the interest of the television visual merchandiser. Most money in broadcasting companies goes into variety, reality and quiz show production. This economical – and sociological choice is clear even looking at the program schedule: most journalistic programs are on at night, the time when people sleep - forgetting their own personal problems, not reflecting on others’. Vinyls workers decided the only way to grab the media’s attention, was to make a parody of the TV system itself. While reality shows are a proven formula for TV and have mushroomed, their factual purpose is all but to show reality. The idea here is to mock the popular Italian reality show, Isola
dei famosi (Island of VIP), where a mob of famous people are obliged to live for a few months in places like Nicaragua, in supposedly poor conditions. Once a high-security prison for Mafia-criminals and exileland for pedophiles, Asinara is now a small uninhabited isle populated only by wild horses and albino donkeys. Vinyls workers occupied the prison building and named their outpost Isola dei cassintegrati (Redundancy Island). They’ve developed a new formula of protest, taking advantage of different media channels television, newspapers, Facebook, Twitter, and the wide audiences they’ve collectively reached. Isola dei cassintegrati has a personal page on Facebook with over 100,000 subscribers, a blog with an average of 6,000 hits per day and Twitter. What makes this adventure revolutionary is that it exploits Italy’s topsy-turvy social background: in a country where TV talks about a “fake” reality, the “real” reality talks about TV. From the Island of Fame to the Island of Famine, from reality show to showing reality, this innovative protest strengthens the need for cultural innovation in Italy. They don’t yet know if they’ll get their jobs back, but they do know - for sure - that they’ve created a voice for all Italian cassintegrati. A week ago, TV put these two islands on stage, the workers are beating the VIPs soundly in terms of audience. Say, when reality defeats fantasy•
fanno di tutto fuorché mostrare la realtà. L’idea degli operai della Vinyls è stata quella di fare il verso ad un popolare reality show trasmesso dalla rete pubblica, L’isola dei famosi, un’ accozzaglia di personaggi famosi - o sedicenti tali- spediti su un’ isola dei Caraibi e costretti a sopravvivere alle selvagge condizioni imposte dalla natura. Una volta sede del carcere di massima sicurezza per mafiosi, oggi l’Asinara è una terra disabitata e famosa esclusivamente per gli asini albini che la popolano. Gli operai sono sbarcati sulle sue spiagge, hanno occupato il vecchio edificio del carcere e hanno ribattezzato il loro avamposto “L’isola dei cassintegrati”. Attorno all’occupazione dell’isola si è sviluppata una sapiente rete di comunicazione via internet : la pagina di
Facebook conta ormai più di 100,000 iscritti, il blog registra una media di 6000 contatti al giorno e Twitter rappresenta un veloce e sistematico mezzo con cui aggiornare in tempo reale chiunque sia interessato alla causa. L’avventura di questi lavoratori ha destato molta attenzione in Italia, riuscendo a guadagnare la visibilità negatagli dalla TV. Ciò che i cassintegrati della Vinyls hanno saputo fare è stato leggere tra le righe del sistema mediatico italiano, sfogliare il manuale di allestimento della vetrina-TV: se la televisione non racconta la realtà, è la realtà che parla della televisione. Rivendicando la sua posizione nella società. Poche settimane fa, quando il piccolo schermo ha visto fronteggiarsi le due isole, l’audience a favore dei cassintegrati ha battuto quello dei famosi. E’ il caso di dire, quando la realtà supera la fantasia•
“We think we understand each other, but we never really do.” The Father Interviewed by ATHENA CHOI Text by ISABELLA ROTTI and ATHENA CHOI Photo by STACY
A stunning example of theatre inside theatre, “Six Characters in Search of an Author” (1920), is perhaps the most famous play by script writing master and Noble prize winner Luigi Pirandello. And it was certainly the perfect choice for Egyptian director Ahmed El-Alfy, who brought the play to the Hong Kong Arts Centre’s McAulay Studio theatre (Wanchai) , during the last edition of Italy Quality & Lifestyle. On stage where a company is performing Pirandello’s “The Rules of the Game”, six characters, rejected by their own author, burst on the scene and ask to be played. The Company’s Manager is furious about the whole thing, but the characters (the Father, the Mother, the Son, the Stepdaughter, the Boy, the Child) start revealing their dramatic family relationships and create a strange, puzzling, chaotic situation on stage. The play ends with the Stepdaughter drowning in a fountain and the Boy committing suicide with a revolver. But the point is: was it all real? The Company’s Manager is not so sure about that. Anyway, real or not real, she has lost the whole day. Well, following Pirandello’s mind, the story didn’t happen at all. In fact the author hasn’t given the characters a form. They’re only in a fluid state. As a form they would have a life and, admitting this, everyone of us would be only one. No way. For Pirandello we are and will always be “No one and One Hundred Thousand”, quoting the title of his most famous novel. In fact the Father in “Six Characters
in Search of an Author” appears as a gentleman and deeply inside him is a devil. He covertly directs his family playing his other characters – mystery, aggressive, sorrow, shut and hateful. His wife, son, stepdaughter, the boy and the child carry their own characters, conflicting the other in their masterminded souls. El- Alfy who sincerely admires Luigi Pirandello has taken the challenge to put “Six Characters in Search of an Author” for the first time on stage in Hong Kong. First of all, he can count on a really talented cast. Louisa Wad plays the Stepdaughter dreaded to have brought the madness into real life. And Ines Laimins, plays the Mother who felt sad on and off show while Reuben M remains chill as the Father. Then the new adapted version from Goold And Power - performed for the second time worldwide- ingeniously adds the fourth dimension to the play. The video screen merges with the dazzling acting and the unexpected plot, have resembled illusions like a magician. Every single moment is trying to catch up what went on. Nothing appears to be clear not until the very next scene. We are already hypnotized progressively by the circling story line and its unique rhythm. Not surprisingly, when the play was first performed in 1921 at the Teatro Valle in Rome, some of the audience shouted “Manicomio!” (“Madhouse!”). Now you take your own risk to be disoriented in between reality and illusion to watch this show• 77
Place hasn’t changed much since then, it is still as beautiful as it was. However, things and people have moved on with time passing. In 1962 for a young man seeking a local girl friend, was a problem. Today you will find a boy and a girl kissing on the street! by COLIN WRIGH Photo by CARLA GODDI
When I first went to Sardinia in 1962 I was immediately impressed by the glorious scenery. Eventually I would take advantage of the wide beaches near Castelsardo and Isola Rossa in the north; of those close to Cagliari in the south; of the famous Costa Smeralda in the northeast,
where the Aga Khan had just started creating a resort. There were fantastic seascapes, such as the Grotto di Nettuno (Neptune Grotto) near Alghero. Then there were the rugged mountains and villages of the interior and, all over the island, over 8000 nuraghi: stone towers
whose purpose is still not entirely clear, the remains of the bronze-age “nuraghic” civilization. Look Sardinia up online and—besides information about accommodation, food and wine—you will find many websites with glowing praise for all of these. And yet… I can’t help but wonder at the different experience of today’s tourists. What impressed me most were the ordinary people and the way they lived, with the influence of the Catholic Church, for example, with its processions during Lent and Easter, and other festivals such as Sassari’s Cavalcata Sarda, when villagers from all over the island assembled in their local costumes with dancing and horse-riding displays. It was in Sassari that I worked. I had come to teach English at a Berlitz school, finding accommodation in a shabby pensione in the old town. Living there were some university students, as well as a tempestuous maid, who became the basis for Teresa in my recently published novel, Sardinian Silver. Our evening dinners became a marvellous way to improve my Italian, which I as yet hardly spoke. It was all so different from what I was used to. Two of the students, Andrea and Lillina Cossu, were from Orgosolo, high in the mountains of the interior. Later Orgosolo would became famous for its painted 79
murals, but at the time it was known as the “bandit village,” so dangerous that buses from the provincial capital of Nuoro arrived with a motorcycle escort of carabinieri, the national police. (An awardwinning film, Vittorio De Seta’s Banditi a Orgosolo, was made in 1960: showing how a local peasant was forced to become a bandit.) Murders resulting from vendetta were common: the two students’ mother had been murdered and the father was in prison. When they went home for the holidays, they invited me to visit with some other friends. With roads far worse than today, it was a long and difficult journey. It was one of the most memorable days of my life—and now for readings from my novel I always choose the Orgosolo
chapter. We were indeed received in style, with two piglets slaughtered for the occasion. As outsiders, with a garrison of carabinieri nearby, we felt quite safe. (A few years later two Englishmen were killed there —a case of mistaken identity.) When I returned to a much-sanitized Orgosolo more recently, I asked after the Cossu family. Andrea had died, but his sister had married and moved away. It was pleasantly easy to make friends with males (whom unfortunately I’ve been unable to contact again). With them I would stroll on the Piazza in Sassari for the passeggiata, the major entertainment of the day, where the locals—arms linked—would promenade up and down before the evening meal. With women it was different, which, for a young
INFORMATION OF SARDINIA Sardinia is an island in the middle of Mediterranean Sea. Visitors often relate it to the dazzling turquoise seawater and enchanting white sandy beaches. In fact the hidden part of Sardinia does offer many others. East: un-contaminated caves in Supramonte; the snow mountain tops in Gennargentu. South: ferti l e l an ds wi th ri ch vegetation; mines in Sulcis and Iglesiente. West: amazing geographical varieties e.g. cliffs, lagoons; the evocative archaeological nuraghi. North: monuments of eroded sea rock and where found the famous holiday paradise - Emerald Coast.
man seeking a local girl friend, was a problem. Unless engaged or married they were strictly chaperoned and never allowed to go anywhere alone. “Continental” (and English) freedoms were considered immoral. The stock cry was “Here we’re more honest than on the continent, if we go out with a girl we marry her”—sometimes with a brother or father in church with a shotgun to make sure. As the secretary of our school said with pride: “I’m not one of your modern girls.” The men normally went with prostitutes: there was even a brothel set up in an abandoned monastery outside the town, which friends invited me just to go and see, only at that time, alas, I was too squeamish. On my return visit to Sassari I was shocked to see a boy and a girl kissing on the street!
Central: stretches from mountainous chain to highlands and deep valleys in Mandrolisai; from wild river in Barbagia to the oasis of Assai. Festivals: the richness of tradition exposes in their festivals and carnivals.
By air: Airports at Cagliari (south, the capital), Olbia (north) and Alghero (west). By sea: Ferries from Genova to Cagliari, Olbia and Porto Torres (west), takes around 10 hours.
Transportation on the island Bus: extensive services throughout the island by ARST. Train: FdS runs between smaller towns; Trenitalia connects major cities; scenic route by Trenino Verde available from april to September.
www.sardegnaturismo.it
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The tourist industry, of course, was only in its infancy. I had arrived by sea in Porto Torres where, unlike today’s busy port, there was only one pier with its waiting train for the once-a-day ship from Genoa. It was the same in Olbia, with Sardinia’s other sea link to the “continent.” Even in Cagliari, the capital, there was only one daily passenger ship, to Sicily. And alas I missed my one opportunity in life to make money. Anywhere on the Costa Smeralda farmers would offer to sell land at prices that for them were enormous but by European standards were ridiculously low. With little money and not much interest, I always turned them down: otherwise I might today be rich!•
撒丁島特色旅遊景點 撒丁島位於地中海的中心，遊人一 般只聚焦在她醉人的翠綠海水和迷 人的白色沙灘。 但其實她還暗藏了不少寶藏和遺 跡。 南部: 肥沃的土地上盛產蒲萄洒和農作 物，還在Sulcis 和Iglesiente的昔日礦 業遺址。 西部: 嘆為觀止的地理奇觀，如峭壁和鹽 水湖等，還有世界文化遺產 nuraghi (努拉吉:用死火山的巨大玄武岩 石，不用任何黏合砌出的截頂圓錐 形建築) 北部: 不朽的腐蝕海岩石和著名的度假天 堂──翡翠海岸 中部: 從綿延不斷山脈伸展至Mandrolisai 的高地和深幽; 從Barbagia的狂河到 Assai 綠洲 節日: 撒丁島悠久的傳統在每年的節日和 嘉年華中流露出來 空 路: 機場在Cagliari卡利亞里(首都)， Olbia (北部)和Alghero (西部) 海 路: 輪渡 從Genova熱那亞到卡利亞 里、Olbia和 Porto Torres (西部)，旅程為10個小時 島上公共汽車巴士: ARST提供廣泛的路線遍及整個撒 丁島 火車: FdS 穿梭 各 個 小鎮; Trenitalia 連接主要城市; 風景路線 Trenino Verde 限 於 4 月 至 9月 www.sardegnaturismo.it
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goodbye arrivederci